The Pontiac Ballroom at the Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel was recently outfitted with an upgraded performance audio system that employs more than 40 CX62 Complex Conic passive loudspeakers from Renkus-Heinz.
The expansive ballroom with a 15-foot-high ceiling can be used as a single large space accommodating 1,200 seated guests or it can be divided into two or three smaller sections. The project, which specifically includes 45 CX62 two-way loudspeakers mounted in the ceiling in a distributed configuration, was integrated by LVW Electronics, whch has worked with the Renaissance Washington and similar hotels and convention facilities for more than 35 years.
In fact, LVW engineer and sales manager Kendall Mangun designed and installed the previous system in the ballroom about 10 years ago, but with the significant architectural changes to the space — particularly with the ceiling — as well higher-performance requirements, the team had to take a new approach. “When we received the ceiling design from the architect using a pattern of new beams, we didn’t see how we were going to make a working system and still hide the loudspeakers in the ceiling structure as requested,” Mangun explains. “The first design draft had a 6-inch gap between the ceiling beams, and after an exhaustive product search, we found that the Renkus-Heinz CX62 box could provide the SPL horsepower and the bandwidth we needed, but it was 7-7/8-inches wide.”
The new ceiling structure is comprised of a non-traditional, fiberglass/insulated Softspan Beam system from Arktura covered with a decorative cladding. The system’s fiberglass sheets have been folded into beams, and the beams are supported from a hanging structure. There are hundreds of beams running across the entire ceiling.
Mangun worked with the hotel owners in getting an 8-inch beam gap staggered across the ceiling to accommodate the enclosures. Mangun notes, “After making that design tweak to the beams, the Renkus-Heinz speakers slip right into the space and out of sight.”
“After a call from Don Heisler from Signal Marketing, I was intrigued. My initial thought was ‘why aren’t they simply using traditional high-powered ceiling speakers?’” says Garrison Parkin, Western Regional sales manager at Renkus-Heinz. “We created some acoustic simulations to confirm that we had adequate coverage and the horsepower needed to create a top-performing system.”
“I’ve worked with Mangun for nearly 30 years and we both believe in the power that Renkus-Heinz speakers provide,” notes Heisler. “Although it’s a non-traditional installation for Renkus-Heinz speakers, it was clear that the CX62 was the right fit for the ballroom’s acoustic needs.”
CX62 loudspeakers (a CA62 active version is also available) incorporate the company’s proprietary Complex Conic horn that’s designed to optimize pattern control with low distortion. Each loudspeaker carries dual 6.5-inch woofers with carbon fiber cones, while integral passive crossovers eliminate the need for a separate active crossover and bi-amplification.
“The new ceiling system provides great acoustics. Each beam is open to the overhead structure through a gap, so the ceiling actually captures the sound in a channel and absorbs the sound before it bounces back down,” Mangun says. “The acoustics in the space are wonderful because of the beams. The Renkus-Heinz speakers are easy to hang and install, they fit the ceiling perfectly, and the sound quality is excellent.”
